Remarks by Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the 1st plenary meeting of the Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine.
Requested by the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly held on Monday a rare emergency special session on Ukraine.
Prior to the start of the meeting, delegates in the General Assembly observed a minute of silence for the victims of the conflict.
Opening the session, Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations General Assembly, said the the organ, with its 193 Member States, "represents the collective conscience of humanity."
Shahid said, "The strength of this Assembly is rooted in its moral authority. Let’s demonstrate that moral courage and use today’s debate not to whip up war rhetoric, but to give peace a chance. Let’s ignite the fire of love, humanity, and compassion. Guns are better off when knotted. Let peace prevail."
On his turn, Secretary-General António Guterres said that the last few days were "a tragedy for Ukraine", but also "a major regional crisis with potentially disastrous implications for us all."
